The Violet Hour

Out of all the small bars on Burton Rd, the Violet Hour has more seating than the rest — as there is an upstairs (& I think a 3^rd floor but I didn’t venture that far, being a wee bit worse for wear). The décor, I would say, doesn’t quite hit the right note for the area which is largely indie /​hipster /​relaxed vibe. It has a reputation locally of being more expensive than the other bars in terms of both food and drinks. I can’t comment on the food here as I haven’t tried it — but I can say that the cocktails are fabulous (hic!) The cocktail menu is more experimental than the rest locally. I had the Parma violet cocktail (see pic) which was adorned by a handmade marshmallow & was really quite special!

Stopped in here for a quick drink with some friends before heading for dinner elsewhere. It’s a cute little bar that has a got a cool vibe yet still feels warm and cosy and I enjoyed sinking into a lovely comfy sofa.
Bar service was slow to say the least and it took the guy a good while to prepare our 3 drinks which consisted of a couple of glasses of Prosecco and a g&t. Who knows how long it would take for anything more complex but he certainly wasn’t in a hurry!
All in all the Violet Hour has a nice feel to it but the slow and not overly warm service means that I can only give it 3* this time. Next time I’m in the area I’d definitely give it another shot though.

After giving this place the benefit of the doubt on a couple of occasions of the past couple of years the service and quality of the cocktails I have received here have been extremely poor.
From the very first night we visited when it had not long been open the entire bar was confronted by an overzealous doorman, who at last orders was taking drinks of people and shoving them down the stairs and out the door. I let this slide as they had not long been open, were the only bar on the road that had doormen so they clearly lacked experience or understood their customer base.
On the three or four other occasions I’ve been here the cocktails have been poor. When I say poor I mean really poor. One occasion in a cocktail that contained egg whites the staff had forgot some key ingredients which resulted in the cocktail basically tasting like an eggy power shake that Rocky Balboa himself would be proud of. The staff seem disinterested, inexperienced and lacking guidance.
The food is overpriced and served in tiny portions. The only good thing they have going for the food is that they source their bread from the excellent Barbican Delicatessen in Chorlton.
On the one time we tried to complain we were greeted by an arrogant owner, something the likes of the clueless owners you see on Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares. He was not interested in listening to the feedback we had and were shrugged off without a care in the World.
This is certainly a place I would never recommend. Especially when there are plenty of bars on Burton Rd that provide a much greater focus on the quality of food, drinks and service.

The Violet Hour is further up the road from the Metropolitan away from the tram stop. The downstairs bar area is fairly small but the upstairs seating area makes it that bit bigger and cosy with comfy sofas and candle light. They have a good menu with pulled pork burgers (really good with ‘violet slaw’) and gorgeous Yorkshire puddings with blue cheese. I didn’t believe it but these really work and are so tasty! As well as a regular food menu they also host regular pop up events called Ten which see a set menu paired with cocktails. The cocktails were perfect on the night I visited and the flavours good on the dishes. Some were a little cold unfortunately but it was only the 2−3^rd event they had ran so I’m sure this will improve.
The current cocktail menu is currently being revamped by the legendary Susie Wong previously of Epernay and Cuckoo in Prestwich so be prepared for sweet yet floral flavours with a quirky twist… the last cocktail she made me had candy floss and glitter, just brilliant. I can’t wait to go back and, now the tram goes to West Didsbury, I have no excuse not to.